Phil's Blog

I’ve badly neglected my personal blog for some time.

I could probably think of numerous reasons for not posting in it regularly. Perhaps a lack of time, the pressures of work, the needs of my family, or that I’ve been ill.

One reason is that I don’t think I’m really that interesting.

Another is that previously, in an attempt to seem interesting, I’ve written about something that doesn’t really interest me. Sometimes I’ve tried to write just enough words to satisfy Google’s current search engine requirements.

I’ve read back over some of those posts and they’ve made me want to cringe.

In the past, I’ve often struggled with the concern that nobody really cares if I post or not. There seem to be plenty of writers on the Internet that share this view.

The reality is, in an age where people prefer to spend their time safely cocooned in their favourite social media app, the wild Internet just doesn’t have as many explorers as it once did.

So, why start writing again?

Fortunately I have a clearer goal in mind than I once did.

My previous motivations for writing probably changed like the Scottish weather, influenced by whatever SEO opinion was prevalent at the time.

I feel much more focused now.

What I want to achieve with this blog

• I want to write about stuff that interests me.
• I want to develop my writing skills by developing a regular habit.
• I want to retain a focus in certain interests by writing about them.

I’m not going to say what topics I might write about as I want to avoid being tied down. I’d rather let my writing follow whatever the muse of the moment might be. I’m going to avoid soapboxing or spouting my opinion. Nobody cares about someone else’s opinion unless it supports their own.

It’s very likely that I’ll end up writing about art, learning foreign languages, and philosophy. Those interests have endured longer than other shiny things that have distracted me along the way.

Whatever inspires me, I hope writing will become an established habit for the new year.